Tripwire Interactive announces they are adding three new maps to the multiplayer beta test for Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad, bringing the number of maps in the testing of their upcoming World War II first-person shooter sequel to six. The maps, Grain Elevator, Red October Factory, and Barracks, go live today, and all three include both Territory and Countdown game modes, while Barracks also supports Firefight mode. The beta is open to anyone who pre-purchased the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game on Steam, and for those who have pre-purchased the vanilla edition, they are also now selling a separate upgrade to the Deluxe Edition for $9.99 USD.

Great game when it works. Server browser still occasionally crashes on me, though they did fix the massive lag it used to cause. Also tiring getting booted from servers with almost every single map change.

That said, when I get the chance to play for a while interruption free, it's some seriously intense gameplay. Some traditionalists rage against it, but I love the Countdown mode. One life game modes just make people play an entirely different way than they do in respawning game modes. The slower pace you have to take, the caution that needs to be shown at every corner... Even if you only see a handful of enemies per round, the high cost of dying accompanied by the everpresent risk of death in this series just makes every moment that much more intense.

Still some niggling issues. Bandaging is an absurdly fast action and the cover system still feels clunky and awkward but there's enough good to outshine most of that.

Contrary to Aseven. I enjoyed the Battlefield alpha much more. WAY more polish and less issues that kept me from playing in the alpha of BF3, compared to the final beta of RO2.